The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday staged a nationwide protest, shutting down academic activities in public universities over the Federal Government’s failure to meet its long-standing demands.
In a statement signed by its President, Christopher Piwuna, the union declared August 26 as a day of protest across campuses to press for improved welfare, payment of promotion arrears, and completion of the renegotiated 2009 agreement.
The demonstrations, which gained momentum in universities such as the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Ibadan (UI), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Uyo (UNIUYO), and the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), saw lecturers carrying placards with inscriptions like “ASUU Rejects Empty Promises,” “Pay Our Promotion Arrears,” and “No Renegotiation, No Peace.”
Speaking during the protest, UNILAG ASUU Chairman, Prof. Idowu Kehinde, criticized the Federal Government’s push for loans for lecturers, insisting that timely payment of wages would eliminate the need for borrowing.
At UNIUYO, branch chairperson Prof. Opeyemi Olajide decried the 16-year stagnation in lecturers’ salaries despite economic hardship, adding that government had withheld third-party deductions and arrears of promotion. “No exam will hold today. Students should go home,” he told those waiting for Computer-Based Tests.
Similarly, FUNAAB ASUU Chairman, Ola Oyedele, accused the government of ignoring the 2009 agreement and refusing to clear outstanding salaries, warning that the union may escalate the protest to a strike if demands remain unmet.
As of press time, the Federal Government had not responded.
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